The Way Out
by cheesebananas'n'twilight4Gail
Summary: Bella and Edward visit Renee and she finds out their secret. But Renee knows something that they dont-the way to be human again. Will the sacrafice be too much? Or will they be happy to oblige? Find out inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, you already read the summary when you clicked on this, sooo... to the story!**

**Disclaimer: It pains me deeply to say this, so let's get it over with...idonotowntwilight. :'(**

**Bella's POV**

"I'm going to the grocery store, dad!" I yelled as I ran out the door. I had a blue shopping bag hanging off of my arm and I was as close as I'll ever come to actually enjoying the rain-a big feat for me. When I was halfway down the street, though, it began bucketing down and totally ruined my moment. I made it to the store and checked the list. My first stop was the pasta aisle-but I saw something there that wasn't pasta. It was _mouldy spaghetti_! I grabbed my fusili and progressed to the bread aisle, shaking my head. Something I saw there was even worse. Stale sourdough baguettes! Luckily Charlie will only tolerate sliced pan. With my bread, I strolled to the frozens. The list told me to buy wedges. But that aisle was the worst of all. Her hair was in a black ponytail, short but sleek and she had a very full fringe. She was about 17, her eyes were a deep, intense blue and her long skirt had so many colours in it that it hurt to look at it. But was hurt more was who she was talking to-wait, make that flirting with. Edward. He leaned into her and once I saw that I couldn't look anymore. I dropped the basket and fled home, only realizing when I got there that my crystal that Edward had given me was missing from my bracelet. _Good_, I thought spitefully. I didn't need it. I didn't need him.

Oh, God, I did.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Sorry I didn't realize just how short the last chapter was until I uploaded it.**

**Disclaimer: Well... I own Lilianne! But as for the rest... they belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I'm all sad now, so it's not my fault if this is a sad chapter. :'(**

**Edward's POV**

As I walked away from Lilianne_-ah, Lilianne, I could talk for hours just_ _about her hair-_I spotted something sparkly on the floor. A crystal. There was a really strong scent coming from it-Bella's.

_What if she saw the whole thing? Where is she now?_ I asked myself internally. I followed her scent and traced her to her house. Sure enough, her truck was parked in the driveway.

_Stupid! You could have figured that out yourself! _I chastised. I rang the doorbell and a perfectly calm Bella came to the door. I was actually angry. _Maybe she just didn't love me enough to be sad, _I thought. Is it bad to have silent conversations with yourself? Because I do that a lot. A more rational part of me said, _she probably just didn't see. _I hoped that was the case.

"Hello, _Eddie_," she whispered. I was doomed. She only called me "Eddie" when she was _really_ mad. But she didn't _seem_ to be.

**Bella's POV**

Edward came to the door after about 5 minutes.

_Stupid fast vampire_, I thought to myself. Recently I've been having sort of conversations internally-I know I'm probably the only sane person to do that. Well apart from old people. Speaking of old people, I've come to a realization in the past 5 minutes that if I don't think of Edward positively, I can convince myself that I don't need him.

" Hello, _Eddie," _I whispered, using the nickname I only used when I was _really _mad.

_I have to keep my cool. Otherwise I'll be letting that cheater win, _I thought.

"So whaddaya want?" I asked. He smiled his crooked smile.

"Didn't you say I was welcome?" he asked. I pretended to think.

"No," was my answer, and I slammed the door right in his shocked face.

**Well, what do you think? Good? Bad? Rate and Review either way!**

**I hope you like it! Remember, good reviews make my day! And I just don't care about the bad ones!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N OK Everyone is totally OOC in this story in case you haven't already realized that. My last chapter was, again, unbelievably short, they look so much longer in Open Office! I'm gonna write one now that looks _too_ long, so it may be OK. Well I'll try...**

**Also thanks to anyone and everyone who reviewed, you're all great!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Edward: Say It. Out Loud. _ Say it!_**

**Me: I don't own Twilight.**

**Edward: Are you afraid?**

**Me: No, I'm _sad!_ **

**Bella's POV**

The doorbell rang 2 seconds after I slammed the door. It was definitely 2 seconds, I counted.

"_What!?!_" I snapped.

"Really, It's not what you think, Bella," he said.

"Oh yes, and that's _not_ the most cliche-ful sentence anyone's ever said. And trust me, a _lot_ of people have said it," I replied sarcastically. I tried to shut the door again, but he stuck his arm in the way. I carried on regardless, knowing it wouldn't hurt him and not caring if it did.

"Bella," he began, but suddenly he turned away. Spinning back round on his heel, he told me stiffly, "You forgot this," and left fluidly for his stupid shiny volvo. The pain and sheer love in his perfect-_no, ugly!-_face was the worst thing I'd seen since what Jane did to him. The more I pretended I didn't care, the more I actually believed it, or so it seemed. Jerked out of my thoughts by nothing in particular, I recalled Edward throwing something at my feet.

It was my crystal.

**Edward's POV**

I couldn't think about what had happened while I was driving. I couldn't think about it at home. I couldn't even think about it for a few days, but I eventually had to face up to the truth. Bella didn't want me anymore. _That's good, _I told myself, but a much bigger part of me knew I still wanted her. _It's time to choose now. Lilianne, or Bella? _But I couldn't. Not then. Maybe not ever. I still loved Bella, just not with all my heart. And Lilianne... I couldn't continue, couldn't admit the facts. Suddenly Alice burst into my room, her eyes fiery, and began screaming at me.

"What have you _done_!?! I _hate_ you!"

"Alice-"

"Don't give me the trash you probably gave Bella. I want the _truth_, Edward Anthony Cullen!"

"I-I can't. I still can't figure out exactly what happened myself," I replied slowly.

"Listen Edward. You are going to do _whatever it takes _to get my _best friend _back. OK?" she said while poking me in the chest.

"OK," I sighed, resigned.

"Now, I'm leaving to tell Bella that it was all you, and nothing to do with me. Yes I know it may make your job harder, but I'm going to do it anyway. Oh and Edward," she added, glowering, "The vision I had _better_ not come true." _Wow. She could be one menacing little pixie,_ I thought. Now she was deliberately shielding her thoughts, she knows that annoys me. And she was outside by now, so I couldn't ask her the old-fashioned way. A shape loomed outside my window. OK, apparently I could.

"Edward," she said with sweetness layered on like treacle. "I thought you might want to know, she's going to go to Florida for a while-I don't know how long." And before I could open my mouth, she was gone.

I got in the car and drove to her house. Surprisingly, her window was shut. Well, maybe not surprisingly. Anyway, Alice was already here. I would see Bella tomorrow instead. But what disturbed me most was that, from here, I should have been able to hear her mumbling, but I wasn't. _Maybe I was the cause of her distressed sleep, _part of me admits. Seeing as how most of the things she said at these times involved me, then that was probably the case. H_ere you are, a clean break, just like you wanted. Or did you want it? Oh, you wanted it alright, what you didn't want is to have been _rejected_,_ I thought. _That's right._ _Rejected._ _I'm finally admitting that I've been rejected._ Well, I didn't need her anyway.

Oh, God, I did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alice's POV**

Bella was surprised to see me which, in turn, surprised me. She was up late doing whatever Bellas do.

"I hear you're going to Florida," I said gently, to break the silence.

"No you didn't, you saw it," she sighed.

"Is that bad?" I asked. I was puzzled. She never minded my visions before.

"No," she said, smiling. "I'm sorry. I was a bit mad at all of you, but I guess it was all _him_."

"Yeah, it was..." I trailed off. I really _didn't _want her to be mad at him. "He really didn't mean it. I'm not defending him, but I don't like seeing my little sister mad." That last remark seemed to cheer her up a bit.

"I understand, Alice. But... _Who does he like more?_" She said the last part all in a rush.

"I don't know," I said.

"Alice..." she said, but she couldn't finish.

"So... When're you leaving?" I asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Tomorrow, I think."

"Have fun. How long will you be there for?"

"I... don't know." I must have looked worried, as she said, "Don't worry, not for _too_ long."

"OK," I said, relieved. Bella yawned.

"Go to sleep, Bella," I wasn't sure whether or not to hum Edward's lullaby, but I decided against it. It would just be more painful.

**The next day...**

**Edward's POV**

Last night Alice told me about Bella's plans. _I must get on that plane,_ I thought. At 12:00 pm I arrived at the terminal.

"I need a ticket for that plane. The one to Florida," I told the clerk.

"I'm sorry, that flight's all full up," she smiled.

"No, you don't understand, I _need_ to get on that plane."

"I'm afraid I can't do that for you." Suddenly I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Don't even bother," said Bella, then walked away. I followed her.

"Bella-"

"We're not having this conversation again. Goodbye." She walked off again, tripped over her own feet but I didn't let her hit the floor.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, and tried to break away, but suddenly the emotions of the past few days poured out of her. She sobbed and sobbed, and I held her all the while.

"Why? That's all I want to know," she asked.

"I'll tell you along the way, I promise."

"But I thought you couldn't get a ticket." That _did _complicate things.

"We'll drive."

"OK. But not too fast." We both laughed at that.

**Bella's POV**

In the car, Edward. Explained everything.

"It was her, Bella. All her. I was just talking to her," he said.

"Wait... Really?"

"Yes," he promised. I can't express how happy that word made me feel.

"So, when do we get there?" I asked.

"In about 4 hours."

"Great." I replied sarcastically, but he reached over and put his arm around me, and suddenly everything was alright.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N The last chapter made me cry while I was writing it, I get very emotional when I am writing/reading stories. I cried my eyes out in New Moon. Sorry, I just had to say that. Also sorry I didn't upload for like years, I've been busy.**

**Bella's POV**

We finally arrived at Renee's. She seemed surprised to see Edward.

"I thought..." but shut up presumably after seeing my face. She probably expected to see me depressed and barely speaking. Renee was out with Phil most days, so Edward & I could do pretty much whatever we liked, except for one day when she stayed home. That day was pretty awkward. She seemed to give me a lot of strange looks, I was wondering why.

"Err... Bella? Could you come for a walk with me-alone?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure Mom," I replied. When we were on the beachfront, she began talking.

"Bella, I don't know how to say this, so I'll just come out with it. Bella-I know what Edward is." I was shocked, but tried not to show it. Renee was crazy, she probably thought he was a... a mermaid or something.

"Well... What is he, Mom?" I asked, acting like I had no idea.

"He's a vampire, isn't it obvious?"

O.

M.

G.

**Edward's POV**

This whole time I'd been trying not to listen to Renee's thoughts for Bella's sake, but something in them had been calling to me. Renee was very strange, and I originally put it down to that, but once I let myself get lost in them, it was weird.It seemed like she was deliberately cloaking them._ That's silly, _I told myself,_ why would she do that? _But I was almost sure she was.

"Err... Bella? Could you come for a walk with me-alone?" she asked one day. I definitely wasn't going to listen to her thoughts _now. _I waited for a 10 minutes and around that, they came back, Bella's face trying and failing to conceal shock. When I saw that, I knew I had to delve deeper.

_I know something most people don't!_ She was singing silently. With a slight twitch of my head, I fluidly climbed the stairs, Bella not far behind me.

"Talk," I said, and she immediately launched into a "he said, she said," account of their conversation. My jaw dropped at the end, and I sat down to try to deal with all the thoughts at once. "We _need _to talk to her," I insisted. Bella agreed. We headed downstairs.

"Is there something you'd like to talk to me about?" she asked jubilantly.

"Yes," Bella murmured softly. Renee grinned.

"Well?" she asked. "Admit it, I'm good!" Bella was about to answer when she continued to talk.

"OK, it was very easy for me. _Too easy_."

"How did you find out, Mom?" Bella asked.

"Oh, you don't have to know that!" she exclaimed.

"Uhh... Yes Mom, actually we do!" Bella told her, trying to hold her obvious anger in.

"Fine, but you may want to sit down. You too, Edward." We sat on the couch and Renee occupied the armchair opposite.

"I presume Bella's already told you our earlier conversation, Edward?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am."

"So polite. Early 20th century, I believe?"

"Er... Yes," I replied, defeated.

"Well, how I know is... This is not easy for me to say, but... Bella, Edward... I was a vampire."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it took me so long to update the last chapter, there was an "internal problem" or something... Anyway, here's chapter 6!!! I've decided that it's around the time of Eclipse, but New Moon never happened, they've been together for about a year.**

Edward's POV

I was absolutely shocked. Renee, of all people? Who would've guessed?

"I've got to go now, I'll explain it all to you later," she said.

"Mom, you can't really expect us to just wait! You have to tell us the story, _now!_" Bella exclaimed. I hushed her.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but I've got to go to the dry cleaners. I'll be back in about 15 minutes, just hang on!" She grabbed her coat and bag, and left.

"Well, we're not going to hang around here waiting, are we?" I asked Bella, trying to take her mind off it.

"What _are _we going to do, then?" she asked suspiciously.

"I... I have absolutely no idea. We could... go for a walk?" I suggested.

"OK," she replied, but just then, Renee came back.

"I forgot, I picked my stuff up from the cleaners yesterday," she grinned.

"Well then..." prompted Bella. Renee sighed.

"Alright."

Renee's POV

"It begins when you were just born, Bella. You were with your dad, I was out for a walk and was bitten by a vampire for absolutely no reason at all. Victoria, I think her name was. I know because, before she could finish me off there in the alley, her partner yelled her name out. I was missing for about 3 days, but finally on the 4th day a policeman found me-though I don't know how, I was unrecognizable. I stayed like that for a few months. I hated it. I hated the monster I'd become. I had come close to drinking from my family too many times, but I forced myself to only drink from animals. I would do whatever it took to get out of it. I stole away in the dead of night, trying to find another vampire. I didn't find any until I got to Italy. I lived with the Volturi for a month before I finally asked them for a cure," I told them.

Bella's POV

"...I lived with the Volturi for a month before I finally asked them for a cure. When I did, they laughed at me, but suddenly hushed simultaneously. "There is one way," they said, and trust me, I really don't want to tell you this. I'm not pressuring you, but Edward?" she asked.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Would you like to not be a vampire?"

"Yes, ma'am, I would."

"Well there is one way, but I'm afraid I think I know what your answer will be already. And I wouldn't recommend it, either, because it's very hard. Anyway, Aro said, "Who do you love more than anyone else in the world?" "My daughter and my husband," I responded automatically. "Would you be willing to sacrifice one of them for mortality?" "No," I replied in hushed tones. I thought it over for many days. I wont go into detail, but finally I decided that I would, for the your sake, Bella. I informed the Volturi of my decision, and left. It was the hardest decision I've ever made, but I think I chose the best path. When I returned home everyone was delighted to see me, but within a week, I had broken up with the love of my life, Charlie, and fled to Arizona with you. It took months and months before I began to notice a change, but 3 years later, I was aging again. So that's the price for mortality-never to see the one you love the most again." She finally finished, and by the look in her eyes she didn't want to say anything that she just said. My heart was racing, and I was picturing scenes in my head, movie type things where that girl, whatever her name was, strolled in through the door, and she and Edward lived happily ever after in Canada. I don't know why Canada-that's just what I picture. My mind wouldn't work right, but when mom began talking again, I tried to listen.

"I'm not saying you have to make that choice. In hindsight, I'm angry that I even said anything. But I'll leave you two alone to talk it over-I really am sorry I said anything."

"No need. There's nothing to talk over," Edward told her. My heart was (figuratively) in my mouth.

I resigned myself to a fate of loneliness. I prepared myself when he opened his mouth to speak.

**Ooh, cliffhanger! 3 more reviews, c'mon! It'll make me happy.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize for the cliffhanger(evil chuckle), and even though I didn't get 3 reviews yet, I will update anyway because I'm awesome(!). By the way, this one's for you, twilight96-angel, you always review, thank you!!!**

Bella's POV

_I prepared myself when he opened his mouth to speak._

"I wouldn't leave Bella for anything," he said without hesitating. I was speechless. Later on, when Renee was gone, I talked to him.

"_Why?!?_" I asked incredulously. He looked at me like I was stupid.

"Because I _love _you, silly!" he replied.

"Really?" He snorted, then noticed that I was serious.

"Really. So, when do you want to go home?"

"Tomorrow? Or later, I don't mind."

"No, tomorrow sounds good." So by the next day, we were packed and ready to leave. This was no miracle, as I didn't bring much.

"Forgetting something?" Edward asked as I was getting ready to leave. I glanced at my bags.

"No," I replied, puzzled.

"I think you're forgetting something..." he said.

"You're acting like a five-year-old."

"Am I a cute five-year-old? I forget, it was a long time ago."

"Yes, but that's aside the point."

"But you're forgetting something."

"_WHAT!?!_" In two seconds, my charm bracelet was fastened around my wrist.

"Thank you," I murmured. We got into the (shiny) Volvo and drove off. Within 4 and a half hours(on a 6-hour journey), we were there. Alice met us outside their house.

"Eeeeeeeep! I saw it all! It's just like a soap opera, only better!" she squealed, crushing me tight in a hug.

"Umm... OK Alice, that's more than a little weird, but yeeaahh...OK."

"Speaking of which, I found _the _most exiting book! You two should totally read it!" She then held up a book called Twilight.

"OK, it looks good!" I replied.

**O.O I think this is the end... I may or may not post ONE final chapter about them reading Twilight, review or message me and tell me whether or not you'd like that!**

**Peace out!**

**~Gail**


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